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this is a fresh air intake and not combustion air for the furnace. this can be on any unit,(gas, electric, oil) not just a 90% furnace.

as has been said this needs to be addressed by the installation company. others can speak to the effectiveness of insulation on that pipe, but why bring in cold or hot air to condition it, especially in extreme temperatures!!??

Because a fresh air supply no less than 12' upstream of the blower is code in this jurisdiction.
The damper is cut in half to prevent closing off the supply completely.

I like to run my vs speed furnace fan year round, so would closing the damper effect this in anyway??

It won't affect the fan itself.
I'm not familiar with city code in lethbridge. In Calgary, on a new home, the fresh air intake must be balanced against the exhausted air through range hoods, bathroom fans and any other powered exfiltration of air.
All these systems should also be interlocked together so when one exhaust comes on, a powered intake fan will turn on to make up the lost air.
This is thermally inefficient, hence the HRV.

I think that it was balanced this way when we moved in as when we turned on switch, the bathroom fans went on also. We had ac installed in spring and they made it so we could run furnace fan without activating bathroom fans etc.

Check the insulation around the pipe periodically to make sure it is not holding moisture but I would expect with those types of tempuratures that the problem will just move inward toward the duct itself. The HRV is the best solution.

I asked him about an HRV and he said it wouldn't be a good solution. Instead he said he could install a fan in the ducts that would warm the air before it hit the furnace. I don't know enough to know what to do.

Would a HRV make a huge difference? I ask as he didn't think it would be a very good option, but what I have been reading says otherwise. Can I have some experts on here shed some more light on this for me please.

Would it be money well spent, or should I just stick with my current setup? The insulation seems to have fixed the problem, although I won't know for sure unless I remove the insulation from the intake pipe.

Would it be money well spent, or should I just stick with my current setup? The insulation seems to have fixed the problem, although I won't know for sure unless I remove the insulation from the intake pipe.

The hrv would make your home more energy efficient. If you have a long heating season &amp; code requiring fresh air then yes you should do it.